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Category: Vegetables

Fresh Summer Squash in Baskets at Farmer's Market
Cooking Summer Squash

Cooking Summer Squash

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Summer squashes are picked before they’re mature. The rind is thin and edible, and you can also eat the seeds. But summer squashes can’t be stored like winter squashes. Some summer squashes in the U.S. are: Pattypan squash Crookneck squash Straightneck squash Zucchini (courgette) INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: Summer Squash is a fruit vegetable belonging to the same class as eggplant, peppers, etc. and occurring in many varieties. The different kinds of this vegetable vary greatly in size, shape, and…

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Potato pumpkin fritters
Recipes for Savory Fritters

Recipes for Savory Fritters

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FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS: Fritters are served for luncheon, dinner or supper, as an entree, a vegetable or a sweet, according to the ingredients used. The foundation batter is much the same for all fritters. They should be fried in deep fat, hot enough to brown a piece of bread in 60 seconds. BATTER FOR SAVORY FRITTERS Put six ounces of flour into a basin, with a pinch of salt, the yolk of one egg, and one-fourth pint of warm water….

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Head of fresh cabbage
Cabbage Recipes – Pudding, Sour, Hash, Stuffed …

Cabbage Recipes – Pudding, Sour, Hash, Stuffed …

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When cabbage is cooked, the cover should be removed from the kettle. This plan permits of the evaporation of much of the strong flavor, which arises in the steam, which would otherwise be reabsorbed by the cabbage. It is the retention of this flavor, together with long cooking, that causes this vegetable to disagree with persons who eat it. If it is cooked in an open vessel and it is boiled just long enough to be tender, an easily digested…

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Young green leaves of sorrel on craft paper. Useful vegetable culture and medicinal plant Rumex acetosa, rich in vitamins and minerals. Close-up.
Using Common Garden Sorrel

Using Common Garden Sorrel

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Common or garden sorrel has a tart, lemon flavor and was popular in the 1800s. The larger leaves were used for soups and sauces and the young leaves for salads. I haven’t been able to find out why people quit using it, but it now seems to be making a comeback. You probably won’t find sorrel in a grocery store because it doesn’t ship or store well, even when refrigerated. It doesn’t tolerate heat well, so try growing it as…

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fresh peas in pods
Many Ways to Cook Green Peas

Many Ways to Cook Green Peas

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INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS GREEN PEAS When green peas are purchased, they are always found in the pods. They should appear to be well filled. Flat-looking pods mean that the peas have not matured sufficiently. When very young, their original flavor is so fresh and delicate, that any addition, except a little very fresh butter, would be certain to destroy their aroma. BOILED GREEN PEAS Do not shell peas until ready to cook. Boil a pan of water and…

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fresh beetroot
Interesting Beet (Beetroot) Recipes

Interesting Beet (Beetroot) Recipes

Beets (also called beetroots) were an important root crop in the 1800s.  They kept well during the winter, were nutritious, and provided color to a meal. Beet tops (greens) and stalks were also cooked, but only when fresh. I had only eaten canned pickled beets until recently.  A friend baked some beets that were drizzled with olive oil and I liked them. The beet recipes below also sound interesting, especially the Beetroot Fritters. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS SELECTING BEETS…

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fresh, raw cucumbers
Cooked Cucumber Recipes and How to Prepare Them Raw

Cooked Cucumber Recipes and How to Prepare Them Raw

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In reading through 1800s cookbooks, I was amazed to see recipes for fried, boiled, stewed, and stuffed cucumbers, as well as cucumber catsup and vinegar, and soup. I’ve only eaten cucumbers raw, so these recipes sound interesting. INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS CUCUMBERS AND THEIR PREPARATION In food value, cucumbers are very low, comparing closely with celery in this respect. However, as they contain a large amount of cellulose, or bulk, and mineral salts, they should not be disregarded in…

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a plate of perfectly fried vegetables
Frying Vegetables – Spinach, Cabbage, Celery…

Frying Vegetables – Spinach, Cabbage, Celery…

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INFORMATION BELOW FROM 1800s COOKBOOKS ========================================== FRIED CAULIFLOWER Having laid a fine cauliflower in cold water for an hour, put it into a pot of boiling water that has been slightly salted (milk and water will be still better) and boil it twenty-five minutes, or till the large stalk is perfectly tender. Then divide it equally into small tufts, and spread it on a dish to cool. Prepare a sufficient quantity of batter made in the proportion of a tablespoonful…

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